Just over three miles separate Balwearie and Viewforth secondary schools on either side of Kirkcaldy.
But children who go to Balwearie High are more likely to walk out the door with five or more Higher qualifications under their belt than their peers at Viewforth High.
Balwearie was among the best-ranked Fife schools in The Courier League – compiled last month using last year’s exam results – coming in 12th overall.
In 2021, 42% of its leavers had gained five or more Highers, compared with 25% of those leaving Viewforth, which ranked 35th out of 43 Tayside and Fife schools.
Why such different outcomes?
The gulf is clear – but the why is complex.
The quality of a school’s provision will influence how well its pupils perform.
But the demographic of its catchment area is also a big factor, with children from poorer backgrounds less likely to excel academically.
Balwearie High School sits alongside large stone villas and bungalows with driveways, adjacent to the leafy Beveridge Park.
A pocket of deprivation in neighbouring Linktown is surrounded by the more affluent Raith and Seafield estates.
Also in the catchment area are the popular villages of Kinghorn and Burntisland.
Between 10 and 20% of Balwearie’s 1,600+ pupils live in the most impoverished areas – known as quintile 1 of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation.
Whereas 40 to 50% of Viewforth High School’s 700+ pupils come from the most deprived areas.
It is designated an attainment challenge school under the Scottish Government’s Scottish Attainment Challenge programme.
Viewforth sits on the north-east edge of Kirkcaldy, in the midst of the communities of Gallatown and Sinclairtown and the former mining village of Dysart, all in the most deprived two quintiles.
Traditionally, Balwearie is seen locally as the more ‘desirable’ school.
But it’s had its issues too – a report in 2018 highlighted pupil concerns about bullying and misbehaviour.
It also said the quality of teaching was not a of consistently high standard.
A year later, however, a follow-up report found progress had been made under a new head teacher.
Former Kirkcaldy councillor and Courier columnist Marie Penman brought up her family in the town and knows its schools well.
Marie says Balwearie’s location means there probably is a perception it is the town’s best school.
She said: “Balwearie has a more affluent catchment area, that’s a fact and the other schools are competing against that.
“You just have to look at free school meal entitlement for these schools.”
But she added: “I’m not a fan of school league tables and basing something on exam results.
“There are a lot of factors to take into account, free school meal entitlement, how many kids are living the area, the support in the school.
“Some schools run extra programmes which offer emotional and mental support and that goes a long way to improving results.”
Neighbouring Kirkcaldy High School, she said, was a great example of a school supporting its community.
“And that’s to do with a great head teacher,” she continued.
‘House hunting’ for schools
The number of placing requests a school receives can be a sign of its popularity.
And although Balwearie received more than Viewforth, it was Kirkcaldy High School that came out on top in these statistics from the 2019/20 academic year.
With both Balwearie and Viewforth over capacity, placing requests are less likely to be granted for those living outside the catchment area.
Estate agent Lisa Livingston, a sales negotiator for Delmor, said parents take the local school into account when house hunting.
She said: “Balwearie used to have a reputation for being the best but I wouldn’t say that’s necessarily the case now.
“People are more focussed on primary schools and nurseries.
“If you are not in the catchment area, it’s quite difficult getting into the school of your choice.”
What has Fife Council said?
Shelagh McLean, Fife Council’s head of education and children services, insists all of the Kingdom’s schools were focussed on ensuring every young person has the same chance of success.
Explaining how the local authority monitors performance, she said: “We look at a range of factors relating to a school’s context when considering the outcomes of our schools.
“These include characteristics like free school meal entitlement, the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, the need for additional support and English as a second language.
“Nationally, these characteristics are used to create comparisons on a like-for-like basis for schools.
“Our schools are focussed on supporting every young person to achieve and to move on to a positive destination.
“Closing the poverty-related attainment gap is a focus for all schools, as an important way of achieving this goal, and schools consider the full range of levels of attainment and achievement to support a wider range of post-school opportunities for their learners.”
Conversation